Duel For-Everfree
by Shadow Kick
Summary: The students of Canterlot High have finally saved up enough to go to a special place called Camp Everfree. It's supposed to be all about fun, learning new things, and even building some new relationships. But underneath it all, something mysterious and evil is afoot. Can the Equestria Girls discover the root of the problem, or will they have to duel to get their answers?
1. Arrival

Inside a small cabin at Camp Everfree, a girl named Gloriosa Daisy was talking to a very _rich_ man.

"My, oh, my. You fell behind on your payments, Gloriosa," said Filthy Rich. "I own the land now."

"Please. My great grandparents founded this place. It's been in our family for generations!" begged Gloriosa. "You have to let the camp stay!"

"Instead of turning it into a spa resort that would line my pockets with more money than this camp ever could?" asked Filthy with a chuckle. "I don't think so."

"Please!" said Gloriosa. "I-I-I-I just need a little more time!"

"Fine," said Filthy. "I'll give you 'til the end of the month."

As soon as Filthy Rich left, Gloriosa ran out of the cabin and sat on a log in the forest next to the rock quarry. "What'll I do?"

Just then, Gloriosa heard a strange noise. She looked up and saw a trail of gem dust leading to a cave. When Gloriosa entered, she discovered a massive crystal spire emanated with Equestrian magic. "Wow!" She then noticed seven colored geodes embedded in the crystal spire. As she grasped five of the geodes, a blast of magic threw her backwards, but a group of roots caught her. "What the world?" She then tried experimenting with plants, and the results shocked her to the core. "Is this _really_ happening?" After a few tests, she got her answer. "This is amazing!" She then ran back to tell her brother, Timber Spruce about her new power.

* * *

Some days later, Timber spoke to his sister inside their cabin.

"You don't know what those things really are!" said Timber.

"But I know what they can do!" argued Gloriosa. "Look! I've been practicing!" Using the geodes magic, she made the plants in their cabin grows longer stems and pick up a laptop and cup. "I can control their power now!"

"You don't know that for sure!" countered Timber.

"This is our camp, and it's being taken away!" cried Gloriosa. "If this has to be our last week here, I'm going to use whatever it takes to make it count!"

* * *

(Tomorrow)

Twilight was sleeping in her room with Spike snoring at her feet.

"No... It can't be...!" said Twilight as she tossed and turned in dreams. "It isn't true...!"

Fluttershy then knocked on Twilight's door. _"Um, Twilight?"_

Spike then woke up and barked excitedly.

" _Twilight!"_ called Rainbow. _"The bus for Camp Everfree leaves in ten minutes!"_

Twilight was wide awake now. "Oh, no-no-no-no-no! I can't believe I overslept!"

Sunset then opened her door. "Me neither. That's not like you."

"I know!" said Twilight in a panic.

"Don't you have a super-annoying alarm clock?" asked Pinkie. She then imitated the buzzer.

"It's gonna be fine," said Sunset. "We'll help you pack."

Rarity walked into Twilight's closet and pulled out a purple and pink dress.

"We're gonna be out in the woods," said Applejack. "When is she gonna need that?"

"If we were going to the moon, I'd insist she packed an evening gown," said Rarity. "One never knows, darling."

"Just let me just get changed," said Twilight. But when she looked in her mirror, her evil alter ego Midnight Sparkle suddenly appeared behind her.

"Midnight Sparkle?!" asked the others.

"How is this possible?!" asked Twi. "Sunset helped me defeat you at the Friendship Games!"

"You and your friends could never truly defeat me!" said Midnight. As she laughed, Twilight's friends began to disintegrate right before her eyes. Then her room began to disappear.

"I'm a part of you, and I always will be!" said Midnight. "Waiting in the darkest shadows of your mind! And in your deck!" Twilight's deck then turned black. "I'll be back, Twilight! And this time, I won't stop until I have all the magic!"

"No! Stop!" yelled Twilight.

* * *

"Twilight, wake up!" called Spike.

Twi woke up only to discover the whole ordeal was a nightmare.

"We can't stop, silly! We're not there yet!" said Pinkie.

"Hey, are you okay?" asked Sunset.

"Heh. I'm fine," said Twilight. She and her friends were already on the bus to Camp Everfree along with their other classmates. She then checked at her deck. She originally had purple sleeves on her cards, but they were all black. _"Oh no!"_

"We are gonna have so much fun!" said Pinkie. "We're gonna roast marshmallows and eat marshmallows, and sleep on marshmallow pillows!"

"Yeah, probably not that," said Rainbow.

"Maybe you're not," said Pinkie. She then pulled a marshmallow shaped pillow and squeezed it.

"Attention, students, we're almost there," said Principal Celestia. "But before we arrive, we just wanted to say how proud we are of you for raising enough money to go on this class field trip."

"When we were your age, we made some of our favorite memories in these woods," said Vice Principal Luna. "And we're sure you will, too."

"Now who's excited?" asked Celestia. All the students cheered.

When they finally arrived, everyone hoped out. As Twilight got out, she accidently left her backpack on the bus.

"Isn't Camp Everfree just beautiful?" asked Fluttershy. "I can't wait until we have our first nature walk."

"Me too," agreed Spike.

"You wanna see all the adorable woodland creatures as well?" asked Fluttershy.

"Yeah!" replied Spike. "Specifically squirrels. More specifically, so I can chase 'em!"

"I'm just lookin' forward to roughin' it," said Applejack. "I'm gonna make my own shelter, forage for food..."

"Uh, you know they provide us with food and tents, right?" asked Rainbow.

"Yup!" answered Applejack. "Still gonna forage though."

Rarity sighed. "I'm just up some R&R. The past year has all been a bit too much for my tastes."

"I'll say!" said Pinkie. "We fought three evil sirens, one ridiculously competitive rival school, and two demon friends!" She then looked at Sunset and Twilight. "Uh, heh-heh, no offense."

"None taken," said Sunset. But Twilight looked down at the ground. "You'll get used to it."

"Yep. Our school has become a regular magic magnet," said Applejack. "Gonna be nice gettin' away and not have to worry about any of that."

Flash Sentry then walked over to the girls and handed Twilight her backpack. "Here you go, Twilight."

"Thanks. It's... Flash, right?" asked Twi.

"Yup, that's me!" replied Flash. "And you're you. And I forgot, we don't know each other very well. _Cool story, bro."_

"Right. I guess I'll... see you around," said Twilight.

Flash nodded and walked off.

"You know how there's that girl who looks just like you when she's here but lives in another dimension?" asked Sunset.

"Uh-huh," said Twilight.

"Well… Flash kinda had a... thing for her," revealed Sunset.

"Oh," said Twi.

" _Hey, everyone!"_ said a voice over a loud speaker. _"If you could start heading to the courtyard, that would be rad! It's time to start the best week of camp ever!"_

Everyone walked over to the courtyard and saw a girl and boy standing on a center gazebo.

"Hi, everyone! Welcome to Camp Everfree! I'm Gloriosa Daisy, your camp director!" said the girl. "Think of me as your friendly camp and nature guide. And this is my little brother, Timber Spruce!"

"Think of me as that awesome guy... who should always be invited to fun things," said the boy.

"We aim to please, so before we hand out our tent assignments, we'd like to hear from all of you," said Gloriosa. "You're free to do and go wherever you like here."

"Uh, except hike near the rock quarry. That's off-limits," added Timber.

"Y-Yes, but otherwise, your options are wide open," said Gloriosa. "So what activities will make this the very best week of your lives?"

"Ooh! Rock climbing!" suggested Rainbow.

"Done!" said Gloriosa.

"Archery!" added Rainbow.

"Of course!" said Gloriosa.

"Tetherball!" added Rainbow.

"Naturally!" said Gloriosa.

"Rainbow," interrupted Sunset. "I know you're excited, but maybe give somebody _else_ a chance?"

"Arts and crafts!" said Bulk Biceps. "My mom... needs new pot holders."

"I'll supply the looms!" said Gloriosa.

"Cookie decorating!" said Pinkie.

"Ooh, I do make a _mean_ sugar cookie," said Gloriosa.

"Early morning nature walks?" asked Fluttershy.

"With walking sticks for everyone!" agreed Gloriosa.

"Ooh! Oh, uh... a fashion show!" said Rarity. "Where I design the most fabulous camp looks inspired by today's hottest trends and have them modeled by my classmates in a gorgeous outdoor setting!"

"A camp tradition!" said Gloriosa.

"We have literally never done that," said Timber.

Gloriosa ignored her brother. "I'll be taking requests the rest of the time you're here, so if there's anything you'd like to do, anything you need, just ask."

As Gloriosa spoke to the campers, Timber and Twilight's eyes locked, and neither of them could look away.

"What about dueling?!" asked Sunset.

"Of course!" said Gloriosa. "In fact, if any of you want, Timber and I would be happy to take on any two of you in a tag team duel!"

"Totally!" said Timber.

Lyra and Sweetie Drops smiled at each other.

"What about the camp gift?" asked Celestia. "That was my favorite tradition."

"Of course!" said Gloriosa. "The camp gift!"

" _Really?"_ whispered Timber.

" _Yes, really,"_ whispered Gloriosa.

" _Well, I just thought—"_ whispered Timber.

" _Well you were wrong!"_ interrupted Gloriosa.

"Anyone else picking up on a little tension between Gloriosa and her brother?" asked Sunset.

"Ehhh..." said Twilight.

"A little," answered Pinkie.

"Every year, campers work together to create something useful," said Gloriosa. "A gift for future campers. Working toward this common goal is key to forming the strong bonds that will last well beyond your time here at camp!" Gloriosa then looked at her brother. _"Which is why it's so important!"_

"I get it," said Timber.

"This gazebo was a gift from last year's group," continued Gloriosa. "Oh, and the totem pole and the sundial were also made by campers!"

"The sundial was our year's gift!" said Celestia.

"Even though "some people" thought it was a little impractical," said Luna. "Since the sundial can't be used at night."

Gloriosa chuckled. "You all seem like a-a really amazing group. So I'm certain you'll come up with something inspiring to leave behind."

"Speaking of leaving behind," said Timber. "Now's the time when we give out tent assignments, so you can leave your heavy bags behind."

"Uh, girls will be getting their assignments from Timber," said Gloriosa. "Guys, you're with me."

"Yay! I'm in the Emerald Tent!" said Pinkie.

"Ooh, me, too!" said Rarity.

"Aquamarine," said Applejack.

"Me, too!" said Rainbow.

"I got Amethyst," said Fluttershy.

Vinyl Scratch gives her the thumbs up.

"Sapphire," said Sunset.

"Me, too!" said Twilight. "I mean, I'm assuming I am. Heh-heh. Technically, sapphires aren't just blue. They can be pink, purple, yellow..."

"Yeah, but they're mostly blue," said Timber. "That's why they're named after the Latin word sapphirus. _That means blue."_

" _I know,"_ whispered Twilight. "But did you know that sapphires are just rubies without chromium?"

"No," admitted Timber. "But did you know that Sapphire Tent is the best one?"

"No," said Twilight. "Why's that?"

"Because you're in it," answered Timber.

"Oh, I bet you say that to all the campers," said Twilight.

"Not true," said Timber. He then looked at Bulk Biceps' card. "You're in the Ruby Tent? Ha! That's the worst one!"

"Aw, man!" said Bulk.

"I'm just jokin', buddy," said Timber. "Ruby Tent is great. It's like a sapphire but with chromium."

Bulk raised his brow in absolute confusion.

"But the Ruby and Coral Tents do look an awful lot alike to the undiscerning eye," said Timber. "I better show you where it is." He looked back at Twilight. "See ya around."

Rainbow and Sunset giggled.

"What?" asked Twilight.

"Heh. Nothin'," lied Applejack.

"Ooh! That was adorable!" said Rarity.

Gloriosa then blew a whistle. "Okay, everyone, go get settled in. We'll be meeting at the docks in fifteen minutes to go over some camp safety rules. Let me know if you need anything!"

"I need somethin'," said a voice. Gloriosa turned around and a very unfitting sight. Filthy Rich and his limo.

"Mr. Rich! So nice to see you," said Gloriosa. She then lowered her voice to a whisper. _"What are you doing here?! Camp is just getting started!"_

"Just takin' in the scenery, Miss Daisy," said Filthy Rich.

"Well, you can look around when camp is over," said Gloriosa. "Now, if you don't mind..."

"Fine," said Filthy Rich. He then got in his limo and drove away. Some of the campers raised their brows.

"Filthy Rich is, uh, an alumni of the camp," lied Gloriosa. "He likes to check on his old stomping grounds every now and again. But enough about him. Find your tents and put away your things. We're about to begin the best week ever!"

Rarity sighed as she and Applejack walked to their tent. "I do hope I can get started on my designs for the camp fashion show soon."

"I still can't believe you talked Gloriosa into havin' a fashion show," said Applejack. "We're in the middle of the woods, for cryin' out loud! We're s'posed to be roughin' it!"

"It's clear from Gloriosa's own wardrobe that she appreciates a well put together look," said Rarity. "Even if we are in the "middle of the woods."

"Fair enough," said AJ. "Just as long as you don't put me in one of your fancy pants outfits... you're gonna, aren't ya?"

"No… Yes!" admitted Rarity. "Don't worry, darling. It'll absolutely speak to your personal sense of style..."

Sunset and Twilight were already in their tents unpacking.

"That was weird back there, right?" asked Sunset. "You know with that guy, Filthy Rich?"

"Huh?" asked Twilight. "Oh. Uh, I guess so."

"I just have this feeling that Gloriosa's hiding something," said Sunset. "Her brother is pretty cute, though, huh?"

"He's okay," said Twilight.

"Ooooh," said Sunset. "Now look who's trying to hide something."

"I'm not!" exclaimed Twilight.

"You okay?" asked Sunset. "You seemed a little freaked out on the bus earlier."

"Probably had another one of her nightmares," said Spike.

"I'm fine. I mean, what do I have to complain about?" asked Twilight. "Ever since I transferred here, everyone from CHS has been really nice and accepting, especially considering what happened at the Friendship Games."

"That wasn't your fault," said Sunset. "Cinch was the one who forced you to try and use all that magic to win the Games. You weren't ready to handle that kind of power. But it's over now. And if there's any group that's gonna forgive you for something that happened in the past, trust me, it's this one."

Rainbow then called out. "You guys comin' or what?"

"Be right there!" replied Sunset Shimmer. "I just wanna put on some sunscreen. Huh… I coulda sworn I packed it."

"Found it!" said Twilight. But as she pointed to the bottle, it began to glow and levitated into her hand.

"Did you just…?" asked Sunset. "How is this possible?"

"I can't believe this," said Twilight. "It's... Terrible!"

"Are you kidding?" asked Sunset. "This is great! I mean, we've all transformed before, gotten the whole ears and wings and tail thing, shot magical rainbow lasers, but nothing like this has ever happened! How did you do it?"

"I don't know!" admitted Twilight. "Maybe I didn't. Maybe it's her!"

"Who?" asked Sunset.

"Nothing," said Twilight quickly. "Never mind. Can we just not talk about it? And could you please not bring this levitating thing up to the others?"

"Why not?" asked Sunset.

"You heard Applejack. This is supposed to be the place where everyone can get away from magic," said Twilight. "I don't want them to know I brought a crazy new kind with me."

"If you really don't want me to, then I won't," said Sunset.

"I really don't!" said Twilight.

"Okay, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing," said Sunset. She then tried to move the bottle with her mind, but it didn't work.

"I think you're just gonna have to pick it up," said Spike.

"Darn," said Sunset. When she walked out of the tent, she accidently bumped into Gloriosa, and in that same nano-second, Sunset heard an angry voice yelling _"I can't believe he showed up like that!"_ "What did you say?"

"I... didn't say anything," said Gloriosa. "Just making sure everyone was headed over to the docks! Did you need something?"

"Nope," said Sunset.

"Well, if there's anything I can do to make this week the best week ever, just let me know," said Gloriosa. "I've got this!"

"Thanks, I'm good," said Sunset. She then turned to Spike. _"People that chipper make me nervous."_

Pinkie then appeared behind Sunset and hugged her. "This is gonna be so much fun!"

"Okay, maybe not _all_ people," corrected Sunset.

A couple minutes later, everyone was at the lake.

"Isn't it lovely out here?" asked Fluttershy. "The fresh air, the cool breeze. The birds that land on your finger."

"I think that only happens to you," said Rainbow.

"Lake activities are available every day until sunset," said Gloriosa. "So if you want to canoe, sail, windsurf, or swim, just let me or Timber know."

Fluttershy then sat on the dock and feed some ducks that were swimming by, while Twilight headed to a canoe. But before she could reach it, some wood broke underneath her, and she fell backwards.

Luckily Timber caught her. "Whoa! I know I'm charming, but you don't have to fall for me."

Flash sighed as he and Sunset watched from afar. "Guess I can't get too jealous, right? After all, she isn't my Twilight. Not that the other Twilight was mine! But we were... you know."

"Yeah, I get it," said Sunset. "But your Twilight is a princess in another world. Hate to break it to you, but that's where she's gonna spend most of her time."

"So you're saying I just need to… get over her?" asked Flash.

"Kinda, yeah," answered Sunset.

"Ouch," said Flash. "You're not pulling any punches, huh?"

"Not really my style," said Sunset as she lightly punched him in the arm.

Luna inspected the broken wood. "This is a safety hazard. I suggest we close down the dock for the remainder of the trip." All the students groaned.

"Oh, I'm sure it won't have to be for the remainder of camp," said Gloriosa. "Just needs to be patched up a bit. I've got this!"

"Or maybe, we do! If you ask me, this whole dock needs to go," said Applejack as she kicked a piece of the dock off. "Building a new one could be our camp gift. It would benefit us, _and_ future campers too." All the students cheered in agreement.

"I don't know. It's an awful lot of work," said Timber looking angrily at his sister. "I wouldn't want you guys to miss out on other fun stuff just because of a broken dock."

Gloriosa glared back at him.

"I hear what you're saying, Timber, but we're Canterlot Wondercolts," said Rainbow. "We've got a reputation to uphold! And there is no way we're gonna leave this place without contributing the most awesome camp gift ever! I'm with AJ. What do _you_ guys think about building a new dock?" All the students cheered.

"Looks like it's settled, then," said Gloriosa to Timber.

"Looks like it," replied Timber.

"Boy, there's a lot of tension, between those two," said Sunset quietly.

"We can reinforce the foundation," said Twilight.

"Make it nice and sturdy," added Applejack.

"We could also add a wood-carved sign that says "Camp Everfree", suggested Sunset.

"And little boxes with food so you can feed the ducks and fishies," said Fluttershy.

"Oh, we'll add lanterns so you can see at night!" said Rainbow.

Watermelody drew all the ideas and suggestions on a makeshift blueprint.

Rarity gasped when she saw the image. "It's stunning! And will make an absolutely perfect runway for my camp fashion show!"

"More importantly, it will be a great place for docking canoes and feeding the wildlife," said Applejack.

"Yes yes! Of course," said Rarity.

Twilight looked at the principals. "What do you think?"

"It's going to be a lot of work," said Celestia. "But we can do it!"

"Yes!" cried Pinkie. "Adult supervision!" And the kids set to work at once.

A few minutes later, AJ walked over to Rainbow. "Nice hammer. Where did you get it?"

"Uh, duh. The toolbox?" said Rainbow.

"That's cool, I made mine," said Applejack holding a manmade hammer.

Rainbow rolled her eyes.

Twilight saw Timber was making a lantern on the table and went over to see it.

"Making lanterns out of solar-powered garden lights?" asked Twilight. "Pretty crafty there, Timber!"

"You think that's crafty? You should see my macaroni art," said Timber. "I'm like the Picasso of noodles."

Twilight giggled.

"All right, now!" called Celestia. "You've made a lot of progress, but it's going to be getting dark soon. We can pick this up tomorrow between our other camp activities."

"Everyone, get cleaned up, and we'll gather by the fire pit at eight to share s'mores and scary stories!" Gloriosa Daisy:

"S'mores!" cheered Pinkie holding the necessary snacks.

At the fire pit, Rarity told a very... not so scary story.

"Uh... that was a terrifying story," said Applejack when it was over.

"Yeah, I'm terrified she'll try to tell it again," said Rainbow.

Luna cleared her throat "Anyone else have a _spooky_ story?"

"I have one," said Timber. "But I'm warning you, it's so scary. You might want to hug a friend."

"Oh, dear," said Fluttershy. Spike jumped into her arms.

Bulk Biceps squeezed Snips and Snails in fear.

"It's called the legend of Gaea Everfree," said Timber. The story told of how his great-grandparents build the camp, and how the _spirit_ of the forest, Gaea Everfree told them to leave. "So if you see a trail of gem dust, you'll know that it is... GAEA EVERFREE!"

At that same moment, Gloriosa came out of the bushes, freaking out some of the students.

"Hey, guys!" said Gloriosa. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"Then why'd you come out of the bushes?" asked Sunset.

"I... took the scenic route, because the forest is beautiful at night," said Gloriosa. "But no one else should do it without a guide, kay? All right, everybody, time to head to your tents."

"Oh, hey, Gloriosa. Do you have extra toothbrushes?" asked Snips. "I forgot mine." His teeth were filled with salad, nuts, and different types of candy.

"Sure do!" said Gloriosa gaging internally at the sight. "I'll get one for you."

Snails also came over, shuddering with fear. "I'm scared of the dark! Do you have flashlights?"

"Of course!" answered Gloriosa. "I got this!"

As Fluttershy's fear grew, she squeezed Spike tighter and tighter.

"Flutter…shy?" asked Spike between breaths.

"Oh! Sorry, Spike," said Fluttershy. "That story got to me."

"Why?" asked Applejack. "It can't be real."

"I don't know," said Rainbow. "Gaea Everfree could be some creature that got booted from Equestria and ended up in this world. That's what happened with the sirens."

"Eh. Sounded more like something that Timber was making' up just to scare us," said Applejack. "At least I hope it was. Last thing I want is to have camp ruined by some power-crazed magical creature."

"Hear-hear," said Rarity. "We've dealt with more than our fair share of those. At the Fall Formal, the musical showcase, the Friendship Ga— well, you know, everything turned out all right, of course."

Twilight took that last part kinda personal. "I'm kinda tired. I'm gonna turn in."

"Maybe we should lay off on bringing up the Games," said Sunset. "I think she's still pretty sensitive about it."

"Our lips are sealed," said Pinkie with her mouth full of marshmallows.

* * *

That night, Twilight grunted in her sleep. In her dreams, she was walking around the campfire area at night. But she kept hearing her Midnight Sparkle call out to her.

"BOO!" said Midnight popping out the fire. "I'll always be here!"

"No!" cried Twilight.

* * *

Sunset woke up. "What happened?"

"Nothing. Sorry, Sunset," said Twi.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Sunset.

Twilight's magic was levitating her bed and Spike's. When she realized what she was doing, the magic stopped, and the beds fell to the floor.

"What? Is it time to get up already?" asked Spike.

"Twilight, we really have to talk about this," said Sunset.

"No, we don't!" said Twilight. She covered herself and quickly went back to sleep.

Sunset sighed. "Alright…"

The next morning, Derpy and Sandalwood decided to go sailing. So they got in a boat, but there was no breeze to carry them.

Sunset and Twilight were walking toward the dock to join their friends.

"Hey, I know you don't want to," said Sunset. "But I really think we need to figure out what's going on with your magic. If you could learn to control it—"

"But that's just it!" interrupted Twilight. "I'll never be able to control it!"

Suddenly there was a huge crash! The girls looked over and saw that Derpy's boat had slashed into the newly made dock.

"What happened?" asked Rainbow.

"I didn't mean to!" said Twilight.

"We didn't see anything," corrected Sunset. "So we don't know what happened."

The girls then rushed over to Derpy and Sandalwood.

"Are you two okay?" asked Sunset.

"Yeah. It was so weird," said Sandalwood. "We were stuck in a middle of the lake with no wind, then all of a sudden, bam! The wind picked up, and we were pushed right into the dock."

Pinkie gasped. "You don't think it was the spirit, do you?!"

" _No, it was me,"_ said Twilight to herself.

"Spirit, show yourself!" called Trixie. "The Great and Powerful Trixie commands it!"

"What's that?!" asked Rarity. All the students looked down and saw a trail of gem dust in the water.

"Oh, man!" said Rainbow. "All our hard work! Ruined!"

"At least the fishies are eating well," said Fluttershy.

"Let's salvage what we can out of the water," said Sunset. "Maybe we can still fix this."

"We have to try!" cried Rarity. "Camp Everfree needs a runway!"

"Dock," corrected Applejack.

"Yes, that's what I meant," said Rarity.

Twilight then ran off into the woods, feeling ashamed of she believed she had done to her fellow classmates.

A short while later, Sunset went to her tent hopping to find Twilight. But all she found was Spike sleeping.

"So many squirrels..." said Spike in his sleep.

"Spike?" called Sunset.

"Ah! Oh. Aw, man!" said Spike. "I was having the best dream. Wait. That dream could be a reality!"

"Before you start chasing squirrels, do you know where Twilight is?" asked Sunset. "I really need to talk to her."

"What happened?" asked Spike. "Did she do that lifting stuff off the ground thing again?"

"I don't actually know if it was her," admitted Sunset. "But if it was, we need to deal with it head on."

"I can track her down," said Spike. And the two set off to find their friend.

Meanwhile, Twilight was walking back along the camper's trail. "Keep it together. Deep breaths. You are not a monster."

She then ran into Timber and they both screamed.

"Oh, hi," said Twilight with a chuckle. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh... Looking for you," answered Timber.

"Oh, I just went on a nature walk and got a little lost," said Twi.

"Let me show you the way back," said Timber. "I'm kind of an expert at these woods. I've lived here my whole life."

"That must have been nice," said Twilight. "Growing up in a camp."

"Yeah, though it has its downsides," admitted Timber. "When I was younger, I wished we'd sell this place so we could live in a town like normal people."

"Really?" asked Twilight.

"I was ten," said Timber. "I really wanted to hang out at the mall." The two giggled. "I've never told that to anyone. You must be special. And not just because you have tree branch in your hair." He then reached behind Twilight's head and pulled it out.

"How long has that been in there?" asked Twilight.

"Not long," lied Timber. "Just the whole time we were talking."

"Well, why didn't you say something?" chuckled Twi.

Sunset and Spike were watching the two from behind a bush.

"I guess we can help Twilight deal with the magic stuff a little later," said Sunset.

Spike nodded.


	2. Magic! Not Again!

Back at camp, Applejack and Rarity were doing some rocking climbing on a fake mountain, while Rainbow waited her turn.

"Rock climbing is all about perseverance and trust," said Celestia. "Rarity, you can trust that Applejack will spot you."

"Hey, could ya speed it up a little?" asked Rainbow.

"Rainbow!" said Applejack.

"Sorry, I've been waiting to do this since we got here," said Rainbow.

"Well, you have to wait a little longer, darling," said Rarity as she climbed.

Twilight and Timber then came back.

"Oh, good!" said Rainbow. "Twilight, if you spot me, I can finally go! I'll go get another harness."

"I'm not sure—" began Twilight.

"I gotta see if my sister needs anything," said Timber. "See you later?"

Twi nodded.

Sunset and Spike then appeared. "Twilight, there you are! I was looking for you!"

A huge rumble was heard in the distance, and the land shook.

"Was that an earthquake?" asked Spike.

"We aren't near any fault lines," Twilight pointed out.

"Hey! Who left this crystaly dusty stuff here?!" asked Bulk Biceps.

Rarity then lost her footing and yelped. "I-I believe I'd like to come down now!"

Applejack gave her the thumbs up and tried to lower her down, but the rope wouldn't move. "Sorry, it's a little bit stuck." Her hands began to glow as she pulled harder. Rarity shot all the way to the top, and then fell. At the very last second, AJ grabbed the rope and caught her friend before she hit the ground.

"Applejack! What are you doing?!" screamed Rarity.

"Is everything okay?" asked Celestia.

"Uh, I don't know what happened," said Applejack. "I didn't even pull the rope that hard. It's like she was suddenly light as a feather."

"I was scared half to death!" breathed Rarity.

"It wasn't my fault!" said Applejack. "Let me help you get your harness off."

"No, thank you!" said Rarity. Suddenly, a large diamond shaped shield appeared in front of her and pushed Applejack into the lake.

"What in the world just happened?!" asked Celestia.

"Oh, dear! I am so sorry!" said Rarity. "Did I just do… whatever that was?"

"I don't think it was your fault," said Twilight. "I'm gonna go get Applejack a towel."

"Me too," added. Sunset. "I knew it Twilight. You're not the only one with a new kind of magic! This is great!"

"No, it's not!" said Twilight. "Rarity and Applejack could have really hurt each other! Why is this happening? I don't—"

Gloriosa then appeared behind them. "Hi, girls! Anything I can do for you?"

"Uh, Applejack just fell into the lake!" said Twilight.

"Oh, no!" said Gloriosa. "She's gonna need warm towels, dry clothes, oh, and a hot cocoa! I've got this!"

Twilight and Sunset then heard a familiar scream. "Fluttershy?" So they rushed over to the cafeteria, and found it covered in dough and sprinkles.

"What happened?" asked Sunset.

"I don't know," answered Fluttershy. "We were just decorating cookies and—"

"And I was all, "You need more sprinkles!" interrupted Pinkie. "And _you_ need more sprinkles!"

"So, standard Pinkie Pie stuff," guessed Sunset.

"I was just tossing sprinkles to Fluttershy, when all of a sudden they glowed pink and exploded!" said Pinkie as she repeated the incident. "Just like that, only earlier!"

"Oookaay," said Sunset. "Why don't you lay off touching stuff for a while?"

"Oh, dear," said Fluttershy. "We really should clean all this up." So she went to grab the paper towels at the top of a shelf, but couldn't reach them. "Can someone help me out?" Just then, a bird came flew into the cafeteria, grabbed the towels, and dropped them into Fluttershy's hands. "Thank you, Mr. Bird."

The bid tweeted in reply.

"Why, of course I can get you a little something to—" Fluttershy gasped. "Did you just... talk?"

The bird tweeted.

"But I don't speak "chirp", said Flutts.

The bird tweeted again.

"I don't know if you're the only bird I can understand," admitted Fluttershy.

The bird tweeted again.

"Oh, no! Please don't call for your friends," said Fluttershy. But it was too late. A bunch of birds and owls all landed on Fluttershy's arms. "It's nice to meet all of you, too."

"Were you just talking to the birds?" asked Sunset.

"Um, yes?" answered Flutts. Rarity and AJ then opened the door and slammed the wall, so all the birds flew out.

"Did you tell them what happened?" asked Applejack. "So crazy! I hoisted Rarity up the rock climbing' wall like it was nothin'! Like I had way more strength than I usually do."

"And I made a diamond shaped thing appear out of nowhere, which normally I'd be excited about," added Rarity. "I mean, the facets were just perfect, and the—"

"Rarity!" said Applejack.

"Oh, sorry," said Rarity. "It knocked Applejack into the water and then it disappeared!"

"Speaking of disappearing, has anybody seen Rainbow Dash?" asked AJ.

At that very moment, Rainbow zoomed in at supersonic speed and crashed into the wall. "Ow!"

"Whoa!" said Applejack. "How'd you do that?"

"I don't know," answered Rainbow. "I started running to get the harness, and the next thing I knew, I was practically back in town!"

"Wait…" said Sunset. "So… you have some kind of super speed now?"

"I guess so," said Rainbow. "Don't know how though."

" _I bet I do,"_ said Twilight silently.

"Hold on," said Rarity. "If you do have some sort of super speed, then why you were gone for so long?"

"Because I lost it when I got far away," explained Rainbow. "But then it came back when I got close to camp."

Pinkie gasped. "I think being at camp is giving us all new magical abilities!"

"Not all of us have gotten new abilities," put in Sunset. "I haven't, but Twilight—" Twilight quickly gave Sunset a desperate look. "Um… Twi hasn't, either."

Applejack sighed. "So much for getting away from all this magic business."

"Something at the camp must be making this happen," said Sunset.

"Um, Gaea Everfree?" asked Fluttershy.

The door opened and Gloriosa walked in. "Applejack! I was looking for you! Here, I brought you some towels and dry clothes. Uh, what happened in here?"

"We're kinda trying to figure that out," said Sunset.

"Well, don't worry about it. I got this!" said Gloriosa.

Sandalwood and Derpy then walked in. "Gloriosa, I kicked my beanbag into the lake!" said Sandalwood. "Do you have a spare?"

Gloriosa's eye started twitching, but she quickly smiled. "I'll get you another one immediately!"

"And I'm all out of arrows!" added Derpy.

"Say no more!" said Gloriosa. "New arrows coming right up!"

Timber there appeared. "There you are!" He then lowered his voice. " _Filthy Rich is back. Do you want me to handle it?"_

" _Absolutely not!"_ said Gloriosa. "Don't worry, I've got this!"

Sunset then heard a huge scream. "Fluttershy, enough with the screaming!"

"I didn't scream," said Fluttershy.

"For once," said Rainbow.

"Nobody did," said Rarity.

"Huh?" asked Sunset. _"But I know I heard someone."_

Later, Principal Celestia spoke over the P.A. "Attention, campers! Anyone who's interested in making floating paper lanterns, please meet us by the picnic tables." The girls all headed over and began making their own lanterns.

"I don't know about the rest of y'all, but I've been lookin' forward to comin' here for a month," said Applejack. "So can we just forget about this "new magic" for a bit and just try to focus on enjoying' our time at camp?"

"Indeed," said Rarity. "I'd like to focus on the designs for the camp fashion show."

"And I've barely gotten to whoop anybody in tetherball," said Rainbow. "Or a duel."

"I think we should try to figure it out," said Sunset. "But if you guys don't want to..."

"Abso-tootly-lutely!" said Pinkie.

"Um, Pinkie Pie, what are you doing?" asked Rarity.

"Putting marshmallows in my lantern," answered Pinkie. "Then when we light them, mine will be beautiful and delicious!"

Twilight sat at a different table then the rest.

"Hey, Twilight," said Spike. "Why aren't you with everyone else?"

"Sunset said something at camp is causing the other girls to get new magic," said Twilight. "I think its Midnight Sparkle. She's still part of me. I can feel it. And I think her magic is infecting my friends."

"What are we gonna do?" asked Spike.

"I don't know _what_ to do," confessed Twilight.

"Okay, everyone!" said Gloriosa. "It's time to watch your lanterns fly!"

Timber Spruce then walked over to Twilight's table. "Hey, cool lantern! Mine's my face!"

Twilight laughed nervously.

"Uh, you okay?" asked Timber.

"Mm-hmm," replied Twilight.

"You just don't… seem like yourself tonight," said Timber.

"Ready?" asked Gloriosa as everyone prepared to let their lanterns fly. "And... Go!" The lanterns were lit, then released into the night sky.

Pinkie's didn't fly for a second. "Aw! Oh, well! Now I get to eat it... Yep, beautiful and delicious."

* * *

Later that night, after the campers had gone to sleep, Sunset woke to the sound of footsteps. "What the?" She looked over and saw that Twilight's bed was empty and her belongings were gone as well. "Twilight?" She then looked outside the tent, and saw Twilight and Spike leaving. _"Twilight! Where is she going?"_ She immediately got dressed and ran after them. A few seconds later, she caught up to them. "Twilight? What are you doing out here?"

"We're... we're meeting a cab to take us home," admitted Twilight.

"She thought you'd talk her out of it," said Spike.

"Because I would," said Sunset. "Twilight, you can't leave." As Sunset touched Twilight's hand, she experienced a vision of Twilight's memories and fears about Midnight sparkle.

"Twilight, there's no Midnight Sparkle," said Sunset. "There's only you."

"How did you know what I was thinking?!" asked Twilight.

"When I touched your hand, I could see what was in your mind, and what you were feeling," answered Sunset. "Wait...! This must be my new power! This is incredible!"

"No, it's not!" said Twilight. "Now I'm infecting you!"

"Twilight, you have to stop looking at this as a bad thing," said Sunset.

"Easy for you to say," said Twilight. "Magic turned you into something beautiful. The last time I tried to use it, it turned me into a monster. I'm just so afraid it's gonna happen again."

"I may have turned into something amazing last time, but I've let magic turn me into a monster, too," confessed Sunset. "It was before I knew you. And if anyone understands what you're going through, it's me. I can help you, and the rest of our friends too. But we can't if you run away."

Twilight sighed. "I'll stay. But I don't think it's a good idea for me to be near our friends right now. Not until we know why this is happening."

"Understood," said Sunset. The two then heard some rustling in the bushes nearby. "What was that?!" A huge ax rose out of the darkness and the girls screamed.

Another scream was heard, and then Timber Spruce appeared. "Twilight?"

"Timber? I'm so glad it's just you!" said Twilight. "Wait, what are you doing out here?"

"And with an axe?" asked Sunset.

"Oh, I was just chopping down some firewood," answered Timber.

"In the middle of the night?" asked Sunset.

"We needed more for tomorrow night's campfire," explained Timber. "And if I didn't take care of it tonight, it would be one more thing Gloriosa would add to her list. _I've got this!"_

Twilight chuckled.

"What about you two?" asked Timber. "Why are you hanging out in the woods at night?"

"Oh! I was sleepwalking," lied Sunset. "Twilight found me and was bringing me back to camp."

Twilight nodded.

"Come on. I'll walk you guys back," offered Timber. "I'll protect you _from Gaea Everfree!_ _Everfree! Everfree!"_

"EVERFREE!" said a loud monstrous voice.

Timber screamed and hid behind the girls.

Rainbow then walked out of the dark. "Got ya!"

"Rainbow?" asked Sunset. "That was you!?"

"Yep," said Rainbow. She then repeated her monstrous line.

"Rainbow, you scared us half to death!" said Twilight.

"Sorry," said Rainbow. "I just couldn't resist."

"I wasn't scared…" said Timber. "Nope, not one bit."

"Besides, it was just a campfire story," said Sunset.

"Oh, no. It's legit," said Timber. "How else would you explain what happened at the docks? And when the earth shook? N-never mind, come on. I know a shortcut back to the tents."

Sunset then saw some sparkling gem dust falling out of Timber's pocket. "Legit, huh? I think we just found our "Gaea Everfree"."

"But why would he work so hard to make us think she was real?" asked Spike.

"You heard what he said about wishing his sister would sell this camp right?" asked Sunset. "If nobody wants to come here because its home to some angry nature spirit, it sure would help his cause."

"We should tell Twilight," said Spike.

"Not yet. Twilight's obviously going through a lot right now," said Sunset. "We should probably be a hundred percent sure before we tell her the guy she likes is a jerk who's trying to run everyone out of camp."

* * *

The next morning, the campers continued working on the dock. The girls were being extra careful not to activate their new powers. Instead of running, Rainbow walked with the supplies, while Applejack was softly taping the nails with her hammer instead of hitting. Everyone was working except Rarity, who was sewing a poncho.

"Uh, you gonna give us a hand here, Rare?" asked Rainbow.

"Would love to, but I really need to get the stitching on this poncho done if it's going to make it into the camp fashion show," said Rarity. "Though at the pace you two are moving, I don't know that the runway will ever be finished."

"The _dock_ is our gift to the camp, and it's gonna get finished," said Applejack. "That is, if Rainbow Dash would hurry up and bring me more wood."

"I can't go any faster!" said Rainbow. "I don't want to end up in the woods again."

"And I can't hit any harder," added Applejack. "What if I hammer the boards into splinters? Aw, shoot! I'm all out of nails."

"Here you go!" said Pinkie as she tossed a box of them over.

"Pinkie, no!" cried the girls as they all took cover. Rarity then formed another diamond shield and accidentally knocked the others over.

"What?" asked Pinkie. "Ohhhh, did you think the nails would explode like the sprinkles? Wow! Glad that didn't happen."

"Sorry, girls. I didn't mean to," said Rarity. "I… don't know how to control this."

"It's okay," said Rainbow.

"None of us do," said Fluttershy.

"Which is why we shouldn't pretend this isn't happening," said Sunset.

"Do you have them now, too?" asked Rainbow.

"Yeah. It started last night," said Sunset. "When I touch people, it's like I can feel what they're feeling and see their memories."

"Oooh, fancy!" said Pinkie. "Try me, try me!"

Sunset touched her friend and saw a lot of _strange_ things. "That explains so much."

"Yep," said Pinkie.

"Girls, we can't just brush these powers aside," said Sunset. "If we learn to work with them, maybe they'll make things easier." With Sunset's guidance, the girls were able to use their magic to speed up and finish the dock's construction.

"Okay, that was pretty awesome!" said Rainbow.

"And look what you managed to accomplish!" said Sunset referring to the finished dock.

"Please, please, please can we do a run-through for the fashion show?" asked Rarity.

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Why not?"

"Get started without me. I've gotta go find Twilight," said Sunset. "Maybe seeing what we've been able to do here might help her embrace her new magic! Uh, not that she has any." During her search for Twilight, Sunset accidently heard Gloriosa and Timber arguing in the boathouse.

(This was unheard by Sunset.) "You were using magic all over the place! I had to tell them something to cover for you!" said Timber. "What did you want me to do?!"

"I just wish you didn't tell them that ridiculous story!" yelled Gloriosa.

"Ah! This is all too much for you! You have to let it go!" begged Timber.

" _I knew it!"_ said Sunset to herself. _"He wants her to get rid of the camp!"_

The door then opened and Gloriosa stormed out of the boathouse with Timber following shortly after.

As Sunset snuck away, she then bumped into Flash.

"Sunset?" asked Flash. "What were you doing behind that door?"

"What? Um, nothing!" lied Sunset. "I, um, lost an earring. Uh, there it is!" As Sunset picked a rock, Maud Pie then walked over and took it from her.

"You earing is right here," said Maud as she handed it to Sunset.

Sunset felt her ear and was shocked to discover she was actually missing one. "Thanks Maud."

"You're welcome," replied Maud as she walked off with her boulder.

"Okay," said Flash. "Hey, listen. I'm glad I ran into you. I really wanted to thank you."

"For what?" said Sunset.

"For the tough love," answered Flash. "You know, telling me I should get over Twilight. I needed to hear that."

"Sure, no problem," said Sunset as she looked around for Twilight.

"Is something wrong?" asked Flash.

"What?" asked Sunset. "No. Why?"

"Come on, Sunset. We used to date," reminded Flash. "I know when something's bothering you."

Sunset sighed. "Okay, here's the deal. My friend really likes someone, but I don't think he is who she thinks he really is. I don't wanna upset my friend by telling her what I think, because I also want to protect her, because if what I think is happening is really happening, then she deserves to know. You know?"

"Nnnno," admitted Flash. "But what I do know is that your friend is lucky to have someone like you to look out for them."

"Really?" asked Sunset.

"Yeah. You know, you've changed a lot since we went out," said Flash. "You're so much... nicer."

"Thanks. Glad you noticed," said Sunset.

"Uh, look, maybe you and me, we could start over as... friends," wondered Flash.

Sunset then saw Timber going into the forest. "Uh, uh, sounds great. I gotta go!"

"Cool, yeah!" called Flash. "I want to start over later, too! Dang."

As Sunset followed Timber through the forest, she briefly felt the earth tremble again. Then nearby, she saw a shadowy figure enter a cave by the rock quarry. Suddenly, the inside of the cave glowed. "Ah, shoot! He's definitely up to something!" So she sent Twilight a text message saying to meet up with her by the quarry.

* * *

Back at the camp, Twilight just received Sunset's text. "It's Sunset. She says to meet her by the rock quarry."

"I thought that place was off-limits," said Spike.

"She says it's important!" said Twilight. So the two set off.

* * *

As they approached, Twi ran into a spider web and screamed.

"Shhhh!" said Sunset as she covered Twilight's mouth. The three then ended to the cave.

"What's going on down there?" asked Twilight.

"I think its Gaea Everfree," said Sunset. "Or at least that what someone wants us to believe. C'mon!"

As the three entered the cave, they discovered a massive crystal spire emanating with a 'certain' magic, and a crystal spire with two stones in it.

"Whoa..." said Sunset.

"This place is beautiful," said Twilight.

"There's Equestrian magic here," said Sunset. "I can feel it."

"Wait. I thought Timber was just faking this whole magical nature creature thing," said Spike. "Are you saying its real?"

"Timber?" asked Twilight. "What does he have to do with any of this?"

"Nothing," said a soft voice. "It's all me."

The girls and Spike turned around to find Gloriosa Daisy.

"Gloriosa?" asked Sunset. "But... Timber. I was certain that he was the one trying to scare everyone away?"

"I would never try to scare anyone away from Camp Everfree," said Gloriosa.

Sunset then touched Gloriosa and read her mind and memories about losing the camp to Filthy Rich, finding the geodes, arguing with her brother, and trying to help the campers with the geode's magic.

"Timber wasn't talking about letting go of the camp," realized Sunset. "He was talking about the magical geodes! It all makes sense, every time you used the geode's magic, you caused another problem! Timber was... covering for you!" She then noticed five other stones around her neck.

"How did you know I was using the geodes?" asked Gloriosa. "And how do you know about the magic?"

"Because I have magic too," replied Sunset. "I can read other's thoughts and feelings. But I'm not the only one. Twilight has powers, and so do our friends."

"Gloriosa, Timber's right," said Twilight. "Maybe you should stop using magic. Too much of it can be dangerous if you can't control it."

"Oh, I got this," said Gloriosa. "And I'm going to use it to save my camp. I just need more power!"

"No!" cried Twilight and Sunset.

But Gloriosa extracted the last two geodes from the crystal spire and used her increased power to ensnare Twilight, Sunset, and Spike in a vine-like prison. The geodes then merged with the ones Gloriosa already had, causing her to transform into a green-haired plant-controlling she-demon. "Sorry, girls. I know what I need to do. But I feel like we're not on the same page. So... see ya."

"Gloriosa!" called Twilight and Sunset. "No!"

"Using her powers, Gloriosa manipulated strong plant roots to move boulders in front of the entrance, trapping the three inside the cave. She then floated back to the camp.

* * *

Back at the docks, Rarity was taking everyone's measures, preparing new clothes, and getting ready for her fashion show. "Where are Twilight and Sunset? They're missing our dress rehearsal."

Pinkie shrugged.

"Well, I suppose we can get started without them," suggested Rarity. "Whenever you're ready!"

Vinyl Scratch then turned on some Techno pop music and the girls started walking onto the runway. Applejack was simply fascinated by the outfit Rarity had made for her.

"Told you you'd like it," said Rarity.

"It's alright... I guess," said Applejack. "I can keep it after camp, right?"

Rare nodded, and AJ joined the others on the runway.

Back in the forest, Snips and Snails were filling up water balloons at the water pump. Then Gloriosa floated by.

"She looks... different," said Snails.

"Yeah. She looks... taller," agreed Snips.

Back at the docks, they kids had just finished their first run-through.

"This is only a preview," said Rarity. "I've got another entire line I'll debut at the actual show."

Suddenly, the music stopped.

"Why did you stop the music?" asked Rarity. She then gasped when she saw Gloriosa. "Oh, my goodness!"

"Attention, campers!" said Gloriosa.

"It's Gaea Everfree!" cried Trixie.

"She's real!" said Flash.

"We're doomed!" said Bulk Biceps.

"Gloriosa?!" asked Timber. "What are you doing?!"

" _That's_ Gloriosa?" asked Fluttershy.

"Am I goin' crazy, or are her feet not touchin' the ground?" asked Applejack.

"Freaky-deaky!" said Pinkie.

"I have an announcement!" said Gloriosa. "Filthy Rich wants to tear down our camp. But don't worry, I've got this!" She then used her immense magical power to enclose the entire campground in a giant cage of brambles, destroying the new dock in the process.

"Oh, come on!" said Rainbow. "We literally just finished building that!"

Timber tried to free the entrapped campers by cutting through Gloriosa's brambles with his axe, but with every vine he cut, his sister simply grew newer denser vines to replace them. Before long, Camp Everfree was made into a sea of brambles.

"Why do these kinds of things always happen to us?" asked Fluttershy.

The others shrugged.

"What are we going to do?" asked Rarity.

"What we always do!" said Rainbow. "Save the day!"

"Oh, boy, oh, boy, oh, boy!" said Pinkie. "This is gonna be so much fun! I only wish we had time to make superhero capes!"

"Me, too!" said Rarity.

Rainbow sighed. "Enough about our wardrobe! We've got to stop Gloriosa!"

Jumping into action, Rarity saved Lyra and Sweetie Drops from a falling totem pole. Rainbow then carried the campers to safety, and Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie use their animal communication, super strength, and explosion powers to make openings in the bramble cage. When they used their magic, they transformed, sprouting their ponytails, ears, and wings. However, Gloriosa just sealed the openings back up before they can get through, and trapped the campers faster than Rainbow could save them.

"This isn't working!" said Applejack. "Her magic is too strong!"


	3. The Never Ending Duel

Back in the cave, Spike had managed to free himself, and bit through Gloriosa's vines, freeing the girls.

"Nice work, Spike!" said Sunset. But when she was unable to move the boulder that blocked the cave entrance. "Twilight, you have to use your magic!"

"I don't think I can lift something that big," said Twilight.

"It's our only chance of getting out of here and helping our friends!" said Sunset.

Twilight took a breath, and moved the boulder with her telekinesis.

"I knew you could do it!" said Sunset.

"Me too!" barked Spike.

"Thanks," said Twilight.

The three then raced back to the campgrounds.

* * *

Meanwhile, Gloriosa's bramble cage was growing bigger and thicker with every second. "Why are you all fighting me?! I'm doing this to save our camp! I'm doing this for you!"

"Gloriosa, let's just think about this for a moment, shall we?" asked Rarity nervously. "I mean, I think Camp Everfree is absolutely delightful, but I just don't know that I'm quite ready to give up my weekly trips to the spa."

"To the spa...?" asked Gloriosa in a fake sweet voice. "TO THE SPA?!"

"Maybe there's a better way to free everyone," suggested Rainbow.

"Like what?" asked Fluttershy.

"Through a duel!" said Rainbow, pulling out her deck.

"Then let us handle it," said Celestia. She and Luna stepped forward. "Gloriosa! We challenge you!"

"If we win, you free us all," said Luna.

"Fine," said Gloriosa. "But if I win, you will all stay here, where we _belong._ "

"Very well…" said Celestia in a confused tone.

"It's time to duel!" said Luna.

 **Gloriosa LP: 4000**

 **Celestia LP: 4000**

 **Luna LP: 4000**

 **Turn 1: Gloriosa**

"Since I'm outnumbered, I'll go first!" said Gloriosa. "I summon Twilight Rose Knight, and I'll use her ability to special summon Botanical Girl! Then I'll tune them both together to synchro summon, Queen of Thorns! Now we all must pay 1000 life points to normal summon or special summon non-plant type monsters from our hands!"

"Every time?" asked Luna.

"Yes!" answered Gloriosa.

"Not to worry sister," said Celestia. "We can still prevail."

"I'll believe that when I see it," said Gloriosa. "Now, my Botanical Girl's effect lets me add a Plant monster with 1000 DEF points or less to my hand, so I'll grab Weed Eater!" (Weed Eater, Level: 4, ATK: 0/DEF: 0, EARTH/Plant) "Then I'll place three cards face down, and play Nightmare's Steelcage, so that none of us can attack for two rounds! I end my turn."

 **Turn 2: Luna**

"Alright, I draw!" said Luna. "To counter your monster's effect, I shall activate Book of Moon! It lets me…"

"I play a counter trap!" said Gloriosa. "Riryoku Field! If you play a spell that targets a single monster, I can negate it!"

"Darn," said Luna.

"I'll also activate Light of Intervention!" said Gloriosa. "Now none of us can set our monsters! So if you want to summon, you'll have to pay the piper!"

"Very well," said Luna. "I summon Supay in attack mode!"

"That's 1000 points right there!" said Gloriosa.

 **Gloriosa LP: 4000**

 **Celestia LP: 4000**

 **Luna LP: 3000**

"I know," said Luna. "I'll also activate Double Summon to bring out Moon Envoy, so I'll pay 1000 more."

 **Gloriosa LP: 4000**

 **Celestia LP: 4000**

 **Luna LP: 2000**

"Now I play Falling Current to change my Supay's level to two," continued Luna. (Supay Level: 1 – 2) "Then I shall tune my two monsters together to synchro summon Moon Dragon Quilla! Next I'll equip my dragon with the Moon Mirror Shield and end my turn."

 **Turn 3: Celestia**

"My turn, I draw!" said Celestia. "I play Magical Mallet! I'll add three cards to my deck, reshuffle and draw three new ones. Much better. I play Temple of the Sun, now if a monster in summoned from the graveyard, they gain 300 ATK points. And since I don't have any monsters on my field, I can special summon Oracle of the Sun! Which means I lose 1000."

 **Gloriosa LP: 4000**

 **Celestia LP: 3000**

 **Luna LP: 2000**

"Now I will summon Fire Ant Ascator!" continued Celestia.

 **Gloriosa LP: 4000**

 **Celestia LP: 2000**

 **Luna LP: 2000**

"Then I'll tune them together to synchro summon Sun Dragon Inti!" continued Celestia. "Next I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your steel cage! Now my Dragon will attack your Queen!"

"Not so fast!" said Gloriosa. "I activate Wall of Thrones! If a Plant monster is attacked, all attack mode monsters are destroyed!"

"No!" said the sisters.

"Yes!" chuckled Gloriosa.

"You'll pay for that!" said Celestia. "I end my turn with one face down."

 **Turn 4: Gloriosa**

"My turn!" said Gloriosa. "I play Pot of Greed, so I can draw two cards."

"Activate trap!" said Celestia. "Call of the Haunted! Now I can bring back my dragon and give him a power boost!" (Sun Dragon Inti ATK: 3000 – 3300)

"Big deal," said Gloriosa. "I play Wonder Clover! By simply discarding my Weed Eater, my Thorn Queen can attack twice this turn!"

"But my dragon is stronger," said Celestia. "Why would you still want to attack?"

"Because of my Weed Eater's ability!" said Gloriosa. "When he's sent to the graveyard, I can destroy one of my opponent's monsters!"

"Oh no!" breathed Celestia.

"They're gonna lose!" said Rainbow.

"Not if we can help it!" said AJ. "Come on!"

Rainbow and Applejack rushed out and joined the duel, taking the intrusion penalty.

 **Gloriosa LP: 4000**

 **Celestia LP: 2000**

 **Luna LP: 2000**

 **Rainbow LP: 4000**

 **Applejack LP: 4000**

 **Gloriosa LP: 4000**

 **Celestia LP: 2000**

 **Luna LP: 2000**

 **Rainbow LP: 2000**

 **Applejack LP: 2000**

"Queen of Thorns, finish these teachers!" ordered Gloriosa.

"Ahh!" cried the sisters.

 **Gloriosa LP: 4000**

 **Celestia LP: 0**

 **Luna LP: 0**

 **Rainbow LP: 2000**

 **Applejack LP: 2000**

"We're sorry." cried Celestia as she and Luna collapsed.

"Don't be" said Applejack.

"We'll get her for ya," said Rainbow.

"Thank you," said Luna.

"It looks like we'll have to leave this to you two," said Celestia. "Be strong."

"You bet!" said Applejack.

"Totally!" added Rainbow.

Gloriosa's vines then wrapped around the principals and trapped them.

"Hey!" yelled Rainbow. "Let them go!"

"MAKE ME!" roared Gloriosa.

"Okay…" said AJ. "But you have to if we defeat ya!"

"Very well, I'll take you two on as well!" said Gloriosa. "During my second main phase, I'll play the Swords of Binding Darkness!"

"The Swords of what?" asked Rainbow.

"Never heard of em," said Applejack.

"They're just like the Swords of Revealing Light," said Gloriosa. "Expect, no monsters are flipped over, and you two can't attack me for three turns! That's all for now."

 **Turn 5: Rainbow**

"I draw!" said Rainbow. (Swords of Darkness x 1) "I play Rainbow Bridge to add a Crystal spell/trap to my hand! Now I summon Emerald Tortoise in defense mode."

"That's 1000 points right off the bat!" said Gloriosa.

 **Gloriosa LP: 4000**

 **Rainbow LP: 1000**

 **Applejack LP: 2000**

"Whatever," said Rainbow. "I place two cards face down and end my turn." Rainbow's hand contained Ruby Carbuncle, Amber Mammoth, and Cobalt Eagle.

 **Turn 6: Applejack**

"Okay, ma turn!" said AJ. "I play Polymerization to fuse ma Skull Red Bird and Mystical Sheep #1 to form the big rooster on campus. Crimson Sunbird! Looks like I don't lose any life points."

"Very smart," said Gloriosa.

"And there's more where that came from!" said AJ. "I play Foolish Burial to send ma Bull Blader to the graveyard. Then I'll play Monster Reborn to bring him to the field in attack mode! Then I summon ma World Carrotweight Champion! That's right, you're not the only one with Plant monsters!"

"But it can't beat my Queen," said Gloriosa.

"Not yet," said Applejack. "I combine ma Bull and Carrot Champ to Xyz summon Gagaga Cowboy! But since I can't attack you, I'll have ma sunbird attack Rainbow's Tortoise instead!"

"Thanks AJ!" said Rainbow. "Now I can activate Ultimate Crystal Magic! When one of my Crystal Beasts is destroyed, I can send the three beasts in my hand and the other three in my deck to the grave. Then I can bring out a fusion monster, like my Rainbow Overdragon! Then I'll activate Rainbow Gravity! Since I have all seven beasts in my grave, I can special summon my original Rainbow Dragon from my deck! And the best part is, I can return all the cards on the field back into our decks on my next turn thanks to my Over-dragon's effect."

"How do ya like them apples?" asked Applejack.

 **Turn 7: Gloriosa**

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall!" said Gloriosa. "I play the Card of Demise! Now I can draw three cards."

"Thanks," said Rainbow. "Now we won't take any damage!"

"Not yet," corrected Gloriosa. "I place three cards face down and end my…"

"Hold up!" said Rainbow. "I can tribute my Overdragon to send every card on the field back to our decks!"

"Not a chance!" said Gloriosa. "I activate my Weed Eater's second effect! I can negate one of your monster's effects, as long as it's not the same turn as when it was sent to the grave. And it isn't!"

"Crud!" said Rainbow. "Crud! Crud! Crud!"

"Calm down," said Applejack. "We still got plenty to throw at her."

"But so do I," reminded Gloriosa.

 **Turn 8: Rainbow**

"My turn!" said Rainbow. (Swords of Darkness x 2)

"I activate a trap!" said Gloriosa. "Bad Luck Blast! Now you two take damage equal to half of your Rainbow Dragon's points! Which is 2000!"

"I think you mean Rainbow and _you_!" corrected Applejack.

"Not with this trap!" said Gloriosa. "Barrel Behind the Door! So you two take all the damage!"

"OH NO!" said Rainbow and Applejack as they were blown back by the damage.

"NOOOOOOO!" cried Pinkie.

"We must do something," said Rarity. "Otherwise, I'll be able to go to the spa again! Come on!"

Rarity and Pinkie joined the duel, taking the intrusion penalty.

 **Gloriosa LP: 4000**

 **Applejack LP: 2000**

 **Rainbow LP: 1000**

 **Pinkie LP: 4000**

 **Rarity LP: 4000**

 **Gloriosa LP: 4000**

 **Applejack LP: 2000**

 **Rainbow LP: 1000**

 **Pinkie LP: 2000**

 **Rarity LP: 2000**

"Applejack! Rainbow!" cried Pinkie.

"Are you two alright?!" asked Rarity.

"Sorry girls," said Rainbow.

"She was just too darn tough," said Applejack. She and Rainbow were then wrapped in vines.

 **Gloriosa LP: 4000**

 **Applejack LP: 0**

 **Rainbow LP: 0**

 **Pinkie LP: 2000**

 **Rarity LP: 2000**

"Not to worry darlings," said Rarity.

"We'll take care of her for ya," said Pinkie.

"I'd like to see you two try," said Gloriosa.

 **Turn 9: Rarity**

"Very well. Then let us duel!" said Rarity. (Swords of Darkness x 3) "I play Gem Knight Fusion to fuse Gem Knight Obsidian, and Garnet to form Gem Knight Prismaura! Plus, when Gem Knight Obsidian is sent from my hand to the graveyard, I can add another Gem Knight to my hand. I choose Gem Knight Amber. And now I will use my knight's effect. By discarding one Gem-Knight card from my hand, (Gem Knight Amber) I can destroy your Queen!"

"I play a trap!" said Gloriosa. "Breakthrough Skill! Now your knight's effect is negated!"

"Blast!" said Rarity. "Very well, then I'll banish my Amber Knight to add Gem Knight Fusion back to my hand so I can play it once again! This time I'll fuse Gem Knight Crystal, Lapis, and Iolite to form Gem Knight Lady Brilliant Diamond! Now for her effect, by sending my Prismaura to the grave, I can special summon Gem Knight Master Diamond! That should do for now."

 **Turn 10: Pinkie**

"Then it's my turn!" said Pinkie. "I play Pot of Greed, which means two cards for me! Now I play Forbidden Chalice to negate your big bad old Queen's effect!"

"Curse you!" said Gloriosa. (Queen of Thorns ATK: 2200 – 2600)

"Well _sorry_!" said Pinkie. "Now I can summon Madolche Mewfeuille without anything bad happening. Which means I can also use his effect to special summon Madolche Anjelly! Then I'll use the effect of my Anjelly. But tributing her, I can special summon Madolche Butlerusk! Now I'll equip my Mewfeuille with Synchro Boost to increase his level by 1!" (Madolche Mewfeuille Level: 3 – 4) "Now I can overlay my two guys to Xyz summon my own queen! Madolche Queen Tiaramisu! Then I'll play Foolish Burial to send Madolche Baaple to the grave. Now I can use my Queen's effect. By using an overlay unit, (Madolche Butlerusk) I can select the Anjelly in my graveyard and return her to my deck, then I can…"

"I activate an effect from my grave!" interrupted Gloriosa. "By banishing my Breakthrough Skill, I can negate your queen's ability!"

"Son of a party cannon!" said Pinkie.

"Nice try," said Gloriosa.

"Thanks," said Pinkie. "But I'm not done yet. I play Madolche Ticket, now if a card is returned to my hand or deck, I can add another Madolche monster from my deck to my hand. Next, I'll activate the yummiest field spell in the world, Madolche Chateau! Now all the Madolche monsters in my graveyard are returned back to my deck. But thanks to my golden ticket, I can add my Anjelly to my hand instead! Then I can special summon Madolche Chouxvalier as well! Plus, my delicious dream land gives my Queen and her knight an extra 500 ATK points." (Madolche Queen Tiaramisu ATK: 2200 – 2700) (Madolche Chouxvalier ATK: 1700 – 2200) "And one more thing. As long as my Chouxvalier is on the field, you can't attack any other Madolches except for him. I end my turn."

 **Turn 11: Gloriosa**

"My turn, then!" said Gloriosa. "I play Graceful Charity, so I draw three cards and discard two." (Copy Plant and Rose Witch) "Then I'll play Pot of Avarice! So I take my five monsters, return them, and draw two cards!" (Copy Plant, Rose Witch, Weed Eater, Twilight Rose Knight, Botanical Girl) "Now I'll discard my Puppet Plant to take control of your Gem Knight Master Diamond."

"You thieve!" said Rarity.

"That's just the beginning!" said Gloriosa. "I play Magic Planter to send my Intervention trap to the grave and draw two more cards! Next I activate Raigeki to destroy all your other monsters!"

"Blast it all!" yelled Rarity.

"My tasty team!" cried Pinkie.

"They're gonna lose," said Fluttershy. "I can't watch!"

"Hey!" yelled Flash. "Leave them alone!"

"And who's going to stop me?!" asked Gloriosa.

"I am!" said Flash boldly.

Fluttershy then looked around at the animals. They all looked frighten. Some were trapped in thorns, others couldn't reach their homes, and others were cut off from their families. "If someone doesn't beat Gloriosa, these animals will never be free. Just like us. Then I guess it's time to step up! Okay Gloriosa! It's time to duel!"

"I'll join ya!" said Flash as he and Fluttershy took the intrusion penalty.

 **Gloriosa LP: 4000**

 **Pinkie LP: 2000**

 **Rarity LP: 2000**

 **Fluttershy LP: 4000**

 **Flash LP: 4000**

 **Gloriosa LP: 4000**

 **Pinkie LP: 2000**

 **Rarity LP: 2000**

 **Fluttershy LP: 2000**

 **Flash LP: 2000**

"Fine!" said Gloriosa. "But first, I have to take care of these two. Master Diamond, attack Rarity! And Queen of Thorns, attack Pinkie!"

Both Pinkie and Rarity hugged each other and screamed as their points hit zero. Rarity's knight then vanished.

 **Gloriosa LP: 4000**

 **Pinkie LP: 0**

 **Rarity LP: 0**

 **Fluttershy LP: 2000**

 **Flash LP: 2000**

"Oh my!" said Fluttershy.

"Are you two okay?" asked Flash.

"No," answered Pinkie.

"Be careful, she's really strong," said Rarity as she and Pinkie were encased in vines.

"Thanks for the tip," said Flash.

"Bring it on!" said Gloriosa. "I end my turn with a face down."


	4. Need More Help

**Turn 12: Flash**

"My turn, I draw!" said Flash. "I summon The King of D!"

"That's 1000 points!" said Gloriosa.

 **Gloriosa LP: 4000**

 **Fluttershy LP: 2000**

 **Flash LP: 1000**

"I know," said Flash. "Now I'll activate my King's effect! By discarding a spell/trap, (The Flute of Summoning Dragon) I can add Dragon Revival Rhapsody to my hand! Then I'll play The Melody of Awakening Dragon! I discard one card, (Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon) I can add two Dragon monsters to my hand with 3000 or more ATK points and 2500 or less DEF points. I choose White Night Dragon and Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon!" Flash's hand contained Tri- Horned Dragon White Night Dragon, Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon, Card Destruction, and Dragon Revival Rhapsody. "Next, I'll place one card face down, then play Card Destruction, so we all must send our hands to the graveyard. Sorry, Fluttershy. I hope I didn't get rid of any good cards."

Fluttershy smiled when she saw her new hand. "Not at all, Flash. Not at all."

"Good to hear," said Flash. "In that case, I activate my face down, Dragon Revival Rhapsody! It lets me special summon two Dragons from my grave. One normal monster, and one effect. So I'll bring back Tri-Horned Dragon and White Night Dragon! Then I play another Dragon Revival Rhapsody to special summon Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon and Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon!"

"Five dragons in one turn?" asked Gloriosa.

"Yep. But I'm not done," said Flash. "I will now overlay my Galaxy Eyes and my Tri-Horned Dragon to Xyz summon Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon! Now check out his effect. By using an overlay unit, I can take control of your queen, change her name, and give her more ATK points!" (Queen of Thorns ATK: 2200 – 3000) (Queen of Thorns – Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon)

"You give her back!" yelled Gloriosa. "I see! You're just like all those other rich thieves that wanna destroy the camp and forest I tried so hard to protect! Well it's not gonna happen! I activate Threatening Roar, now you can't attack me this turn!"

"Darn!" said Flash. "Oh well… I guess I'll just equip my Cipher Dragon with Dragon Shield. Now he can't be destroyed by battle or effects! Then I'll equip my King of D with United We Stand, so he gains 800 points for each monster I control." (The King of D. ATK: 1200 – 4400) "I end my turn."

"Which means I get my Queen back!" said Gloriosa. "I told you I'm not letting either of you destroy my camp!" (Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon – Queen of Thorns) (Queen of Thorns ATK: 3000 – 2200) (The King of D. ATK: 4400 – 3600)

"We're not trying to," said Fluttershy. "We just want you to let us all go."

"Why would you want to leave such a wonderful place?" asked Gloriosa.

 **Turn 13: Fluttershy**

"Guess there's no other way to get through to you," said Fluttershy. "So I draw! I set a monster face down." (Creepy Coney)

"Then say goodbye to 1000 points!" said Gloriosa.

 **Gloriosa LP: 4000**

 **Fluttershy LP: 1000**

 **Flash LP: 1000**

Fluttershy gripped her fist with confidence. "Well you can keep em! I play Tri-Wright! This lets me special summon up to three level two or lower normal monsters from my graveyard. So I'll bring back three of the monsters I discarded in attack mode. Two Bunillas and one Archfiend Marmot of Nefariousness. Then I'll activate Spiritual Forest so I can protect them from you, once per turn. I place two cards face down and end my turn."

 **Turn 14: Gloriosa**

"My turn, I draw!" said Gloriosa.

"Activate trap!" said Fluttershy. "With Birthright, I can bring back another one of my discarded friends, Rabidragon! Then I'll activate Pixie Ring! If I have two or more attack mode monsters, which I do, you can no longer attack any other monster on my field except for the one with the highest ATK points. So as long as my Rabidragon is on the field, all my other little friends are safe from your attacks."

"Whatever," said Gloriosa. "I play another Card of Demise, so I can draw three cards! Then I'll play Card of Burial Magic! This lets me banish three spell cards from my graveyard, (Card of Demise, Pot of Avarice, and Magic Planter) then draw two cards. Now I activate Mirage of Nightmare! During your turn, I can draw until I have four cards in my hand, but then I have to discard everything I draw during your turn. I place three cards face down and end my turn!"

 **Turn 15: Flash**

"Looks like I'm up!" said Flash.

Timber finally showed up. "Gloriosa, this isn't the way!"

"I appreciate your concern, Timber, but I got this!" yelled Gloriosa.

"Agh! No, you don't!" said Timber. "And that's why _I_ will be your next opponent!" Timber took the intrusion penalty.

 **Gloriosa LP: 4000**

 **Fluttershy LP: 1000**

 **Flash LP: 1000**

 **Timber LP: 4000**

 **Gloriosa LP: 4000**

 **Fluttershy LP: 1000**

 **Flash LP: 1000**

 **Timber LP: 2000**

"I play a trap!" said Gloriosa. "Just Desserts! Now both of you lose 500 life points for each monster you control!"

"I have four monsters, so I lose 2000 points!" said Flash.

"And I lose 2500 because of my five monsters…" said Fluttershy.

"NO!" cried Flash and Fluttershy.

 **Gloriosa LP: 4000**

 **Fluttershy LP: 0**

 **Flash LP: 0**

 **Timber LP: 2000**

Timber watched as Fluttershy and Flash were trapped in her vines. "Gloriosa? What have you done?"

"What does it look like?" asked Gloriosa. "I'm protecting our camp!"

"This is crazy!" said Timber. "You have to let it go!"

"Never!" yelled Gloriosa. "Now I activate Emergency Provisions to send my Mirage Card to the grave. Now I can keep my cards and gain 1000 points."

 **Gloriosa LP: 5000**

 **Timber LP: 2000**

 **Turn 16: Timber**

"Fine! You leave me no choice. Let's duel!" said Timber as he drew. "I play The Cheerful Coffin, and I'll use it to discard Tiger Axe, and Wolf Axwielder! Then I'll banish to special summon Akz, the Pumer!"

"Get ready for some damage, bro!" said Gloriosa.

 **Gloriosa LP: 5000**

 **Timber LP: 1000**

"It's well worth it," said Timber. "Now I'll equip my Pumer with the Axe of Despair." (Akz, the Pumer ATK: 1500 – 2500) "Now I'll activate his effect, by discarding a Beast-Warrior from my hand," (Garoozis) "I can double my monster's points." (Akz, the Pumer ATK: 2500 – 5000) "And that's not all, my Pumer can now attack you directly this turn."

"What?!" asked Gloriosa.

"I'm very sorry, sis," said Timber. "But this is for your own good. Attack!"

"I activate a trap!" said Gloriosa. "Lumenize! Now I can negate your attack, and my Queen gains ATK points equal to your monster's ATK power until my next end phase!" (Queen of Thorns ATK: 2200 – 7200)

"Oh my gosh!" said Timber. "7200 points?!" (Akz, the Pumer ATK: 5000 – 2500)

 **Turn 17: Gloriosa**

"All aimed at you," said Gloriosa. "Please understand, Timber. This is all for the good of our camp!"

Sunset and Twilight finally arrived at the campgrounds, but couldn't break through the Gloriosa's barrier.

"Twilight, do you think your magic can break through these brambles?" asked Sunset.

"I don't want to use too much," said Twilight. "Midnight Sparkle could take over."

"But Twilight, our friends are in there!" begged Sunset.

"Okay," said Twilight. Using her power, Twi was able split the brambles apart for her, Sunset, and Spike to enter.

"Please, Gloriosa! What you're doing is crazy!" said Timber. "You have to listen to me!"

"That's not your sister," said Sunset. "She's become nothing but a mindless creature consumed by magic."

"Whoever you are, you have to let my sister go!" begged Timber. "Please, Gloriosa, come back! I need you!"

"I want into this duel," said Sunset taking the intrusion penalty.

 **Gloriosa LP: 5000**

 **Timber LP: 1000**

 **Sunset LP: 4000**

 **Gloriosa LP: 5000**

 **Timber LP: 1000**

 **Sunset LP: 2000**

"Attack Timber's monster my Queen!" ordered Gloriosa.

"Gloriosa!" yelled Timber.

"Timber!" cried Twilight.

 **Gloriosa LP: 5000**

 **Timber LP: 0**

 **Sunset LP: 2000**

"Are you okay?" asked Sunset.

"Be careful," said Timber. "She isn't in her… right mind." He then became completely encased in vines.

"Got it," said Sunset. "This ends now!"

"Bring it on!" said Gloriosa. "I place three cards face down and end my turn." (Queen of Thorns ATK: 7200 – 2200)

 **Turn 18: Sunset**

"You got it. My move!" said Sunset. "I play Onslaught of the Fire Kings! With this, I can special summon the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys from my deck! Then I'll activate Back-Up Rider to give my Phoenix 1500 more points!" (Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys ATK: 2400 – 3900) "Next I play Double Attack! By discarding my Supremacy Sun, my Sacred Phoenix can attack twice! Now get her!"

"Just try it!" said Gloriosa. "I activate Safe Zone! Now my Queen cannot be targeted or destroyed by your card effects! And it can't be destroyed in battle!"

"So what?" asked Sunset. "You're still taking damage from both attacks!"

 **Gloriosa LP: 1600**

 **Sunset LP: 2000**

"Curse you!" yelled Gloriosa.

"I'm sorry Gloriosa," said Sunset. "If you would just let us all go, I wouldn't have to do this."

"Like that'll ever happen," said Gloriosa. "Besides, you haven't won yet! I activate Aegis of Gaia! This gives me 3000 life points!"

 **Gloriosa LP: 4600**

 **Sunset LP: 2000**

"Dang!" said Sunset.

"See? Mother Nature's always got my back," said Gloriosa. "Too bad your little birdie won't be around to protect you, seeing how he's destroyed at the end of your turn."

"Well I've got backup," said Sunset. "I tribute my Phoenix to summon Majesty's Fiend!"

"You do realize you lose 1000 life points, right?" asked Gloriosa.

 **Gloriosa LP: 4600**

 **Sunset LP: 1000**

"Of course," answered Sunset. "But now neither of us can activate _any_ monster effects."

"Damn you!" said Gloriosa.

"I end my turn with a face down." said Sunset.

 **Turn 19: Gloriosa**

"My turn, I draw!" said Gloriosa.

"And I activate a trap!" said Sunset. "Dust Tornado, and I'll use it to destroy your Safe Zone!"

"I don't think so!" said Gloriosa. "I activate the effect of Rose Archer from my hand! If I have a Plant monster on my field, I can negate the activation of your trap!"

"I don't believe this," said Sunset.

"You don't know how important this camp is to me!" said Gloriosa. "Guess I'll have to show you! I play Riryoku! Now I can power up my Queen with your Fiend's ATK points!" (Majesty's Fiend ATK: 2400 – 1200) (Queen of Thorns ATK: 2200 – 3400)

"Oh man!" said Sunset.

"Nobody is gonna take my camp from me, EVER!" yelled Gloriosa.

"Twilight! It's up to you!" said Sunset. "You have to beat her. And you have to use your strongest deck."

"No. I can't!" said Twilight.

"It's the only way!" said Sunset. "You have to embrace the magic inside you!"

Even though she was still scared, Twilight stepped forth and took the intrusion penalty.

 **Gloriosa LP: 4600**

 **Sunset LP: 1000**

 **Twilight LP: 4000**

 **Gloriosa LP: 4600**

 **Sunset LP: 1000**

 **Twilight LP: 2000**

"Attack!" ordered Gloriosa.

"AH!" cried Sunset.

 **Gloriosa LP: 4600**

 **Sunset LP: 0**

 **Twilight LP: 2000**

"Sunset!" cried Twilight. "Look… I don't know if I can do this! What if _she_ takes over? What if instead of saving everyone, I turn into Midnight Sparkle and only make things worse?"

"That won't happen! We won't let it," promised Sunset as she was wrapped up.

"No!" cried Twilight. She then looked the she-demon. _"Alright."_ She put her science deck away and reached for her Spellcaster deck. But before she could grasp it, the spirit of Midnight Sparkle grabbed her hand.

"That's my deck!" said Midnight. "You will never be able to control it, just like how you can't control me! I will always be a part of you!"

"Nooooo!" cried Twilight in her mind.

" _Listen to me Twilight! You're the one who's in charge!"_ said Sunset's voice.

" _You are a light, darling! A force for good!"_ said Rarity's voice.

" _Yeah! You can kick the darkness's butt!"_ added Rainbow's voice.

" _We're here for you, Twilight!"_ said Pinkie's voice.

" _And we always will be, no matter what!"_ said Applejack's voice.

" _We believe in you!"_ said Fluttershy's voice.

" _You... are not... Midnight Sparkle!"_ said Sunset's voice.

"You're right!" said Twilight at last. "I... am... _Twilight_ Sparkle! And the magic I carry inside me is... the Magic of Friendship!"

The dark Spellcaster deck then changed back into the Prophecy deck that Twilight originally used. "Gloriosa! I challenge you!"

"Fine!" said Gloriosa. "I'll beat you just like everyone else! I place one card face down and end my turn."

 **Turn 20: Twilight**

"Alright, I'm up!" said Twilight. "I play Graceful Charity, so I draw three cards, and discard two." (Reaper of Prophecy and Stoic of Prophecy) "And one of the cards I discarded was Stoic of Prophecy, so I can add another Prophecy monster to my hand. So I choose the Hermit of Prophecy, then I'll summon him in attack mode!"

"That's 1000 points of damage!" said Gloriosa.

 **Gloriosa LP: 4600**

 **Twilight LP: 1000**

"I know," said Twilight. "But it was worth it, I play Spellbook of Life! And when a Spellbook is played, my Hermit's level increases by two!" (Hermit of Prophecy Level: 3 – 5) "As for my Spellbook, first I must reveal another Spellbook in my hand." (Spellbook Library of the Crescent) "Then I can banish one Spellcaster in my grave, (Stoic of Prophecy) and special summon another one. I choose my Reaper! Then his level gets increased by Stoic's level!" (Reaper of Prophecy Level: 6 – 7) (Hermit of Prophecy Level: 5 – 7) "I shall now overlay my two spellcasters to Xyz summon Hierophant of Prophecy!"

"I play a trap!" said Gloriosa. "Black Horn of Heaven and I'll use it to destroy your monster!"

"Shoot!" said Twilight. "Well then, I guess I'll play Spellbook of Secrets to add another Spellbook (Spellbook of Fate) to my hand. Then I'll activate Spellbook Organization to arrange the top three cards of my deck. Now I can play Spellbook of Fate! With this, I can remove three Spellbooks from my graveyard, (Spellbook of Life, Spellbook Organization, and Spellbook of Secrets) and remove one card on the field from play. I choose your Safe Zone!"

"I'll just spring another trap!" said Gloriosa. "Plant Food Chain! This card equips itself to my monster, and gives it 500 extra ATK points!" (Queen of Thorns ATK: 2200 – 2700)

"So what?" asked Twilight. "Your Queen is still destroyed."

"And because she was, the other effect of my Food Chain trap kicks in!" said Gloriosa. "If my Queen is destroyed, I can special summon her back to the field!"

"What?!" asked Twi. "Well then, it's a good thing I have a backup plan. I activate Spellbook of Miracles! This lets me special summon a Xyz Spellcaster from my graveyard! So I'll bring back my Hierophant. Also, I can add two of my banished Spellbooks and add them to my monster as Overlay units. (Spellbook of Life and Spellbook Organization) Now I'll use one of those units to destroy your continuous Gaia trap!" (Spellbook of Life)

"NO!" yelled Gloriosa.

 **Gloriosa LP: 1600**

 **Twilight LP: 1000**

"Gloriosa, just let it go," said Twilight.

"NEVER!" yelled Gloriosa.

"Then you leave me no choice!" replied Twilight. "I reveal one Spellbook in my hand, (Spellbook Library of the Crescent) so I can activate Spellbook of the Master! This lets me copy the effect of another Spellbook in my graveyard! I choose Spellbook of Fate!"

"Uh-oh," said Gloriosa.

"Seems you're catching on," said Twilight. "I banish my original Spellbook of Fate, Spellbook of Life, and Spellbook of Miracles, to remove your Queen from play!"

"NOOO!" yelled Gloriosa. "STOP!"

"I never quit when it comes to protecting my friends!" said Twilight. "Just like how you never give up on your camp. Hierophant of Prophecy, attack her directly and end this duel!"

"AAAGHHH!" cried Gloriosa.

 **Gloriosa LP: 0**

 **Twilight LP: 1000**

As Gloriosa fell in defeat, the girls were then able to break free of the thorns. Twilight then used her magic to seize the geodes from Gloriosa.

Each of the seven geodes then flew over to Twilight and her friends, transformed into necklaces, and granted them all-new magical forms. Using their new magic, the girls blasted the brambles away in an explosion of light.

After everyone was freed, Timber ran over to his sister. "Gloriosa?"

"What... what happened?" asked Gloriosa when she awoke.

"It's okay. It's gonna be okay," said Timber as he hugged her.

Everyone cheered for the girls.

"You did it!" barked Spike as he jumped into Twilight's arms. "Whoa. Nice bling."

"What... are these?" asked Applejack.

"I'm not sure," answered Sunset. "But clearly we have some kind of connection to them."

"I almost don't care what they are. They are gorgeous!" said Rarity "And will totally go with the other collection I was working on for the camp fashion show!" She then looked around at the destroyed camp. "That's probably cancelled, isn't it?"

Sometime later, the campers managed to clean up all the damage Gloriosa had done.

"I am so sorry," said the camp director. "I only wanted this to be the best week Camp Everfree has ever had. But instead, I've made it the worst. Maybe it's for the best that I'm losing the camp to Filthy Rich."

"No. It's not," said Celestia. "This camp has meant so much to so many people, my sister and me included."

"Why do you think we wanted our students to come here?" asked Luna.

"We can't let Filthy Rich take this place away!" said Twilight.

Just then, the mailman came up with a letter. "Delivery for Gloriosa Daisy!"

"Right here," said Gloriosa with a sigh. "It's probably the foreclosure letter." But when she opened the envelope, she found a check. "What the?!"

"It's the money from Kaiba Corp!" said Sunset.

"Yay!" cheered Pinkie.

"Kaiba Corp?" asked Timber.

"Didn't you hear on the news?" asked Rainbow. "After the Grand Championship, one of the employees from Kaiba Corp transferred some of the money to the camp!"

"I bet it was Carl!" said Celestia. "He was a fellow camper I knew when we were here."

"After he graduated, he joined Kaiba Corp," explained Luna.

"Carl is the name of my dad's friend," said Rainbow.

"So he must have been an alumni of Camp Everfree," assumed Rarity.

"But how did you know we needed money?" asked Timber.

"We heard ahead of time from our Principals that the camp might close," said Fluttershy.

"So Rainbow's dad asked Carl to transfer some of the money to the camp," added Applejack.

"I don't believe it!" said Gloriosa. "The amount of money on this check is even more then what we needed to save the camp, and even fix it up a bit. Oh… thank you. Thank you girls so much! You have no idea how much this means to me! I can't believe this. If only I'd just asked for help in the first place..."

"Hey, don't sweat it," said Rainbow. "It's kinda what we do."

* * *

Later, the campers decided to celebrate by having a dance party in the crystal cave and invited other camp alumni's from the past. Also, Filthy Rich came by and collected the money from Gloriosa.

A short while later, Timber approached Twilight.

"Not to brag or anything, but it's pretty cool how I saved all those campers from those Rubus fruticosus," said Timber. "Blackberry brambles."

"I'm familiar with the genus," said Twilight. "It's just a little weird you say _you_ saved the campers. I thought I saved them. Not to mention you."

"Yeah. But I saved you from falling on the docks so that you could save the campers," said Timber. "So technically, it was all me."

"Yeah right," Twilight giggled. "But I'm really glad I met you."

"Uh-oh," said Timber.

"What?" asked Twi.

"That sounds like a goodbye," said Timber. "And here I was hoping we'd still be able to hang out. Maybe get dinner and catch a movie?"

"Yeah. I'd really like that," said Twilight.

Just as the two were about to kiss, Gloriosa interrupted.

"Oh, uh... sorry," chuckled Gloriosa. "I need to borrow Timber. Another donor is here and I really want you to meet is him. His name is Canter Zoom and he was a good friend of Mom and Dad's."

"Save me a dance, okay?" asked Timber.

"Sure," replied Twilight.

"Adorable," said Rarity.

"He does seem like a pretty cool guy," said Sunset.

"You know what else is cool?" asked Rainbow. "Our awesome new superpowers! I was able to set up the stage, decorate the cave, and still had time to pick up pizza! I love my super-speed!"

"About that," said Sunset. "I think these crystals are the source of the superpowers."

"You're not gonna ask us to give them up, are you?" asked Fluttershy.

"No," assured Sunset "In fact, I think maybe we were meant to have them all along."

The rest of the girls agreed. Then went to join the party.

Later, when the party concluded, Timber kissed Twilight on the hand and headed back to the camp with his sister.

" _Nice…"_ said Sunset.

Twilight smiled in embarrassment.

"There is one thing I'm still wondering about, though," admitted Sunset.

"What?" asked Twi.

"Where did the magic that hit this cave even come from?" asked Sunset.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Canterlot High School, the stone block where the CHS Wondercolts statue once stood, had a crack in the top from when Twilight blasted it. Magic from Equestria was now leaking through into the human world.

* * *

Later, the girls finished rebuilding the new dock for the camp once more.

"Third time is a charm," said Rainbow. "Or is it fifth? I've lost track."

"All that matters is that the runway is finished," said Rarity.

"You mean the "dock," corrected Applejack.

"Oh, to-mah-to, tomato," said Rarity.

"Let's celebrate!" said Pinkie as she tossed some confetti and marshmallows into the air. Some of it landed on the dock. They pieces began to glow, and then exploded; destroying the dock all over again.

The girls all stared in complete disbelief. Rarity was so shocked that she fainted.


End file.
